Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Can Russia's military fly without Ukraine's parts?

04/11/2014

Russia's sleek new military machine, currently poised on Ukraine's eastern borders, has a problem: It runs on components produced in Ukraine, which are still being delivered by Ukrainian companies. And now, Ukraine's beleaguered interim government is warning that it might call a halt to all arms supplies to Russia: "Manufacturing products for Russia that will later be aimed against us would be complete insanity," Vitaliy Yarema, Kiev's first deputy prime minister, said.

Air Force plan to get rid of A-10s runs into opposition

04/11/2014

It’s often called the military’s ugliest aircraft, a snub-nosed tank of a plane that’s nicknamed “Warthog” for its appearance and ferocity. The A-10 Thunderbolt II has been the Air Force’s equivalent of an in-the-trenches grunt for almost 40 years: heavily armed and armored, designed to fly low and take out the enemy at close range.

U.S. drone 'clipped into' Canadian-controlled airspace

04/11/2014

An unmanned American navy drone flew into Canadian-controlled airspace on Tuesday morning, which surprised officials who were not expecting to see it. The drone was supposed to land in Maryland but was sent to Maine due to bad weather, Nav Canada director of public affairs Michelle Bishop said.

Nigerian Air Force buying new combat aircraft

04/11/2014

The Nigerian Air Force has revealed that it will be acquiring additional fighter aircraft and combat helicopters, with approval having already been received from the government. Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Adesola Amosu made the revelation during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Nigerian Air Force. However, he did not disclose the type of aircraft involved in the new acquisition plans, or numbers.

Significant milestone met as progress continues on AWACS upgrade

04/10/2014

An important milestone was recently reached on a significant upgrade improving capabilities for the Airborne Warning and Control System, better known as AWACS. The 40/45 block upgrade is the largest modification on the U.S. AWACS fleet. It provides a complete replacement of mission computer systems - some of which were originally installed in the 1970s - and a new open, network-based architecture, which enables future net-centric operations.

Navy Adds Hellfire Missiles to LCS

04/10/2014

The Navy is integrating a vertically-launched longbow Hellfire missile onto the Littoral Combat Ship as a way to give the platform more fire-power, service officials said Wednesday. Unlike other missiles that would require laser-designation to pinpoint targets, the longbow Hellfire can use what’s called millimeter wave seeker technology that can autonomously track and destroy multiple targets simultaneously.

Top NATO Commander: U.S. Troops May Be Sent To Eastern Europe

04/10/2014

NATO's top military commander in Europe, drafting countermoves to the Russian military threat against Ukraine, said Wednesday they could include deployment of American troops to alliance member states in Eastern Europe now feeling at risk. U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove told The Associated Press he wouldn't "write off involvement by any nation, to include the United States."

V-22 Tiltrotor Could Revolutionize Naval Logistics In The Pacific

04/10/2014

If you spin a globe to the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you will discover that almost no land is visible in any direction. That’s because the Pacific covers nearly half of the Earth’s surface. The good news is that all that water protects America from potential enemies in Asia. The not-so-good news is that the Western Pacific has become the industrial heartland of the new global economy, so it is also becoming the main focus of U.S. military strategy.

NATO to significantly bolster Baltic Air Policing Mission

04/10/2014

The NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission is to be boosted substantially next month with the disclosure on 8 April that the normal complement of four fighters will be increased to 12. With the Polish Air Force set to take on the mission with four MiG-29 'Fulcrum' fighters from May through to August, the UK will also send four Eurofighter Typhoons and Denmark four Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons, the Reuters news agency quoted an alliance official as saying.

Japan scrambled fighter jets against Chinese planes 415 times last year

04/10/2014

Japanese fighter jet scrambles against Chinese planes hit a record high in the year that ended in March, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, as Sino-Japanese ties were strained by disputes over territory and interpretations of history. Japan scrambled combat planes against Chinese aircraft 415 times during the year, up 36 percent from a year earlier. It was the highest number since the ministry started disclosing country-specific figures in 2001.

Planned L-159 sale to Iraq may fail for several reasons

04/10/2014

The planned sale of the redundant L-159 combat planes to Iraq may fail for three reasons: the Czechs may not be able to quickly deliver the planes, the Czech military may consider the sale unprofitable, and a new Iraqi government may reject the sale, daily Lidove noviny (LN) writes yesterday. The aircraft producer, Aero Vodochody, and Iraqi officials agreed on the sale of 12 old L-159s for $200 million on Sunday, the paper writes.

First C-130J Super Hercules ‘Shimshon’ Arrives In Israel

04/10/2014

Israel’s first Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules airlifter arrived at Nevatim Air Base today. Along with senior Israeli officials, Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson attended the ceremony and made remarks. Israel ordered its C-130Js through a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract with the U.S. Government. This is the first ferry of the C-130Js currently on order for the IAF, which has operated legacy C-130s since 1971.

Turkish Air Force receives first of 10 A400Ms

04/10/2014

The Turkish Air Force finally formally accepted the aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space at the A400M Final Assembly Line in Seville, Spain, on Monday 7th April. A further ceremony will take place in Turkey at a later date.

Turkish F-16 jets follow Russian jet along coast

04/09/2014

Two Turkish F-16 fighter jets followed a Russian reconnaissance plane that was flying parallel to the Turkish coast in international airspace. The General Staff said on its website Tuesday that an IL-20 type reconnaissance jet had flown near Turkey's Black Sea coastline and the Turkish Air Force responded by sending two F-16 fighter jets to intercept it.

TALON REACH: SHAPING A COMBAT CLOUD TO ENABLE AN INSERTION FORCE

04/09/2014

The impact of the speed and range of the Osprey is driving an opportunity to add speed and effectiveness for situational decision makers in the ground combat element flying aboard the Osprey as well.

U.S.-Philippine pact to highlight Obama’s Asia rebalance – minister

04/09/2014

An agreement on U.S.-Philippine defence cooperation, expected to be signed this month during a visit by President Barack Obama, will be a clear sign of a U.S. “rebalance” to Asia despite U.S. preoccupations elsewhere, the Philippines’ top diplomat said. The deal will enable the sharing of Philippine bases, an increase in the rotation through the Philippines of U.S. ships, aircraft and troops, and will reassure U.S. allies of support against a rising China.

The A-6 Intruder Was Originally Designed With Thrust Vectoring

04/09/2014

The A-6 Intruder was developed in the 1950s with the US Navy demanding as capable of an attack machine as possible. That's why it was built to use a rather modern idea: thrust vectoring. It wasn't quite ready for primetime back then, but the idea was there and the need to make the Intruder so advanced and so innovative arguably led to its longevity.

RAAF overlooks Saab Gripen for more expensive, controversial Joint Srike Fighter

04/09/2014

This is the low-cost, high performance fighter jet that Australia overlooked when the RAAF spent more than $6 billion to fill a capability gap between its retiring F-111 and Hornet fleets and the controversial stealth F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Airmen at odds with Air Force brass over future of beloved A-10 plane

04/09/2014

The Defense Department decision to retire an Air Force plane built specifically to support ground forces has ignited a firestorm of criticism from the airmen whose job is to embed with Army ground forces and spot enemy targets. Meanwhile, one top Air Force commander is defending his service’s decision to eliminate the A-10 Warthog, despite acknowledging the aircraft’s value.

Boeing Phantom Badger Certified for V-22 Transport

04/09/2014

After a series of successful tests, the U.S. Navy last month certified that the Boeing Phantom Badger combat support vehicle can be transported inside a V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. That is another step toward providing warfighters with more options to deploy the versatile vehicle.

Advanced Mig-31BM Interceptors Stationed in Western Russia

04/09/2014

Modernized MiG-31BM interceptor aircraft have started combat alert duty at an airbase in Tver Region in western Russia, with the full modernization of the unit to be completed by the end of the year, a military spokesperson said Tuesday.

NNS: Navy's Laser Weapon Ready for Summer Deployment

04/08/2014

Navy engineers are making final adjustments to a laser weapon prototype that will be the first of its kind to deploy aboard a ship late this summer. The prototype, an improved version of the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), will be installed on USS Ponce for at-sea testing in the Persian Gulf, fulfilling plans announced by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert at the 2013 Sea-Air-Space Expo.

Should we reduce our military?

04/08/2014

You know the old saying “you could knock me over with a feather?” Well, that is the way I felt when I heard Secretary of Defense [Chuck] Hagel state that the Obama administration wants to reduce the U.S. military forces back to pre-WWII size. Huh! Have any of these people read a history book?

Congress and Pentagon are engaged in a new fight: Where do Apache helicopters belong?

04/08/2014

The Pentagon has a new fight with Congress. This one is over the Pentagon’s plan to cut costs by moving the AH-64 Apache attack helicopters assigned to Army National Guard units to the active Army and replacing them with newer UH-60 Black Hawks, which are used mainly for transportation.

Iraq to Buy 12 Mothballed L-159s from Czech Military

04/08/2014

Representatives from Iraqi Defense Ministry have signed a purchase contract with Aero Vodochody on buying 12 mothballed L-159 combat planes from the Czech military on Sunday. Penta Investments that owns Aero Vodochody confirmed the news on Monday.